People

Mallika Srinivasan, TAFE’s Chairman and CEO, is a thought leader, recognized for entrepreneurship, commitment to excellence and contribution to Indian agriculture machinery business and academia. In January 2014, the Government of India conferred her with the prestigious ‘Padma Shri’ award for her contribution to Trade and Industry.
In a span of 25 years, she has established TAFE as a quality mass manufacturer of tractors, a lean and resilient organization that can effectively weather the cyclicality of the tractor business. With her special emphasis on product development, she has ensured significant expansion of TAFE’s product range.

Padma Shri A. Sivasailam, TAFE’s former chairman was a visionary, a pioneer and exemplar of intergrity. He ensured that excellence was institutionalized across the organization and it is reflected in his quote “Excellence is not something that we engineer, inspect or input into our tractors. It is an innate desire to obtain the best that comes from within each of us. It defines out lives at work and at home and ripples out into the world around us”.
He was elected chairman of The Amalgamations Group, in August 1968 and held that position till his death in 2011. He was conferred with the prestigious ‘Padma Shri’ award for his contribution to Trade and Industry in 2007.

Shri. S. Anantharamakrishnan, TAFE’s founding chairman was a man who nurtured a dream of a self-sufficient, prosperous and industrialized India. The Amalgamations Group, a brainchild of Shri. S. Anantharamakrishnan, is today at the forefront as one of India’s largest light engineering conglomerates. With his vision for mechanisation of Indian farming, The Amalgamations Group ventured into the manufacture of tractors in 1960, which marked the birth of Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd (TAFE).

Mallika SrinivasanTAFE - Chairman & CEO

Mallika Srinivasan is a thought leader and a strategist, recognized for entrepreneurship, commitment to excellence and contribution to Indian agriculture machinery business and academia. She is presently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TAFE - Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited, an INR 93 billion tractor major incorporated in 1960 at Chennai, India. TAFE is today, the third largest tractor manufacturer in the world and the second largest in India by volumes, with an annual sale of over 150,000 tractors and presence in over 100 countries, including developed countries in Europe and the Americas.

In a span of 25 years, Mallika has established TAFE as a quality mass-manufacturer of tractors, a lean and resilient organization that can effectively weather the cyclicality of the tractor business. With her special emphasis on product and process development, she has ensured significant expansion of TAFE's product range and manufacturing mettle. Recognized among the most powerful women in India Inc., and one of India’s leading entrepreneurs, Mallika Srinivasan is aptly called the "Tractor Queen."

Mallika believes in strong work ethic and has made a conscious effort to induct more women into the workforce. To quote her, "Diversity is an essential prerequisite for innovation". Her mantra for success - hands on approach, passion for work, and a firm belief that as a family business, attention has to be paid to sustainability.” The world took notice of her well-rooted principles as a business leader. Mallika once said, "You don’t need to love money to run a business. You have to have a dream to build an institution, to build centers of excellence, to create a great team. Business has a larger purpose … business can operate well only in the social context of educated and healthy people.”

A. SivasailamTAFE - Former Chairman

The person who raised The Amalgamations Group from a modest profile in the 1960s to one of the country’s major industrial houses to reckon with today. He started small – with a short stint at a Chartered Accountants Firm in London. When he returned to India, Mr. Sivasailam was entrusted with the task of giving shape to a new company – today’s TAFE. And there was no looking back after that. He grew in stature from TAFE’s General Manager in 1961 to Chairman and MD in subsequent years.

From there it was a short step towards becoming the Chairman of The Amalgamations Group in 1968. Under his wise governance, the Group grew exponentially and more than doubled its revenues.

TAFE was close to Mr. Sivasailam’s heart. It was here that he was able to combine his well-honed business acumen with his genuine desire to make a change in the very fabric of India’s agricultural landscape. Mr. Sivasailam was one of those rare individuals who was conferred the degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) by not one but many universities for his contribution to both agricultural business management and industrial development.

S. Anantharamakrishnan TAFE - Founder Chairman

Sivasailam Anantharamakrishnan (1905 – 18 April 1964), affectionately called "J" was an Indian industrialist and business tycoon who founded and led the Amalgamations group of industries from 1945 to 1964.

Anantharamakrishnan was born in Tirunelveli in 1905 and had his education in Tirunelveli and Madras. In 1935, he joined the Simpsons group of companies as a secretary and in 1938, became the first Indian director in the management of Simpsons group. He served as the Chairman of the group from 1953 till his death in 1964.

Anantharamakrishnan is remembered for his successful business practices, efficient management of the labour unions and for triggering the growth of the automobile industry of Chennai which has earned the city the epithet "Detroit of India". As a result he himself came to be remembered as the "Henry Ford of South India."